The Guardian: Humanist letter against the Pope

The Guardian – in a spirit of helpfulness no doubt – printed a letter against the Pope and his state visit signed by some British notables. Well… they are a bit more notable now. Most of them weren’t known by many people before, except perhaps fellow members of the British Humanist Association.

Harsh judgments on the pope and religion

The Guardian, Wednesday 15 September 2010

We, the undersigned, share the view that Pope Ratzinger[In Italy this is not an uncommon way to refer to a Pope. Everywhere else it could be tinged with insult.] should not be given the honour of a state visit to this country. We believe that the pope, as a citizen of Europe and the leader of a religion with many adherents in the UK, is of course free to enter and tour our country. However, as well as a religious leader, the pope is a head of state, and the state and organisation of which he is head has been responsible for: Opposing the distribution of condoms and so increasing large families in poor countries and the spread of Aids. [Among other things, they don’t help.]Promoting segregated education. [Silly.] Denying abortion to even the most vulnerable women. [Abortion denies life itself to a vulnerable person, lots of them female.] Opposing equal rights for lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender people. [Laws should reflect nature and God’s laws.] Failing to address the many cases of abuse of children within its own organisation. [I think it would be interesting to look at the careers of all the people who signed this and all the organizations they have started or worked for.] The state of which the pope is head has also resisted signing many major human rights treaties and has formed its own treaties ("concordats") with many states which negatively affect the human rights of citizens of those states. [Gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.] In any case, we reject the masquerading of the Holy See as a state [The Holy See is a state. It is not an act.] and the pope as a head of state as merely a convenient fiction [The Pope is a head of state. These people apparently are detached from reality.] to amplify the international influence of the Vatican. [The Vatican has been around for a while, and actually has influence. Most of the undersigned are masquerading as… what… people other people have heard of, perhaps? Let’s see about them:]

Stephen Fry, [homosexual humanist gameshow host with bipolar disorder who blamed the Poles for Auschwitz because they are Catholic, member of the British Humanist Assoc.] Professor Richard Dawkins [who thinks maybe aliens started all life, without dealing with who made the aliens, and member of the British Humanist Assoc.], Professor Susan Blackmore [seems to be a disciple of Dawkins into the paranormal as well as a member of the British Humanist Assoc.], Terry Pratchett [member of the British Humanist Assoc. and atheist fantasy writer], Philip Pullman [hates the Catholic Church and, btw, belongs to the member of the British Humanist Assoc.], Ed Byrne [comedian and yet another member of the British Humanist Assoc.], Baroness Blackstone [both a politician and an academic, two strikes, and member of the British Humanist Assoc., strike three], Ken Follett [novelist, atheist, member of the British Humanist Assoc.], Professor AC Grayling [philosopher, atheist, humanist member of the British Humanist Assoc.], Stewart Lee [member of the British Humanist Assoc., comedian, writer director of Jerry Springer – The Opera], Baroness Massey [member of All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group and former director of Family Planning Association and member of the British Humanist Assoc.], Claire Rayner [pres and v-pres of British Humanist Assoc. suggested killing the Pope], Adele Anderson [member of the British Humanist Assoc, actress], John Austin MP [member of the British Humanist Assoc.], Lord Avebury [Buddhist National Secular Society’s Secularist of the Year and member of the British Humanist Assoc.], Sian Berry [Green Party, and what do you know … member of the British Humanist Assoc.], Professor Simon Blackburn [philosopher VP of British Humanist Ass.], Sir David Blatherwick [yes, really… former diplomat and member of British Humanist Ass.], Sir Tom Blundell [biochemist member of, you guessed it, Brit. Hum. Ass.], Dr Helena Cronin [Darwinian and member of the Brit. Hum. Ass.], Dylan Evans [philosopher atheist and member of the Brit. Hum. Ass.], Hermione Eyre [an atheist member of the Brit. Hum. Ass. who seems not to have done much of anything], Lord Foulkes [politician], Professor Chris French [psychologist into the paranormal, member of the Brit. Hum. Ass.], Natalie Haynes [comedian member of the Brit. Hum. Ass.], Johann Hari [homosexual secularist], Jon Holmes [comedian member of the Brit. Hum. Ass.], Lord Hughes [member of Brit. Hum. Ass. and supporter of assisted suicide], Robin Ince [comedian member of Brit. Hum. Ass., author of "Carl Sagan Is My God…" ], Dr Michael Irwin [member of Brit. Hum. Ass. and promoter of euthanasia], Professor Steve Jones [geneticist and member of Brit. Hum. Ass.], Sir Harold Kroto [who thinks there are four four "religions": humanism, atheism, amnesty-internationalism and humourism, member of Brit. Hum. Ass.], Professor John Lee [pathologist member of Brit. Hum. Ass.], Zoe Margolis [member of Brit. Hum. Ass. who seems not to have done anything except write about sex], Jonathan Meades [member of Brit. Hum. Ass., food writer], Sir Jonathan Miller [atheist member of Brit. Hum. Ass.], Diane Munday [promotes abortion, member of Brit. Hum. Ass.], Maryam Namazie [member of Brit. Hum. Ass., I like that she is against Sharia Law], David Nobbs [comedian, member of Brit. Hum. Ass., hates religion], Professor Richard Norman [member of Brit. Hum. Ass.], Lord O’Neill [member of the Brit. Hum. Ass.], Simon Price [member of Brit. Hum. Ass., wears hair in shape of horns and favors makeup and face hardware], Paul Rose [socialist, member of the Brit. Hum. Ass. ], Martin Rowson [cartoonist member of Brit. Hum. Ass.], Michael Rubenstein [member of Brit. Hum. Ass.], Joan Smith [atheist], Dr Harry Stopes-Roe [member of Brit. Hum. Ass.], Professor Raymond Tallis [member of Brit. Hum. Ass.], Lord Taverne [member of Brit. Hum. Ass.], Peter Tatchell [seems to be okay with sex with children (aka child rape)], Baroness Turner [member of Brit. Hum. Ass., hates Catholic schools], Professor Lord Wedderburn of Charlton QC FBA [member of Brit. Hum. Ass.], Ann Marie Waters [who knows], Professor Wolpert [biologist, member of Brit. Hum. Ass., doesn’t seem to have a first name], Jane Wynne Willson [Brit. Hum. Ass. member and accredited "celebrant" for humanist "religious" ceremonies]

What I find interesting about this group is that the members are distinguished by hate and intolerance, of course, they very thing these so-called intellectuals do not like about the Pope and the Catholic Church, supposedly. Let it be clear, however, that these people just do not like Catholics, they do not like any religions which see a connection, whether doctrinal or moral, between civic life, as in the law, and morals.

Some of these people are “fallen-away Catholics”, such as Stephen Fry, who broke with religion over homosexuality.

All have the age-old British fear of religion, which may cause zeal and, therefore, civil war, a.k.a. the excellent book Enthusiasm by Ronald Knox, a classic on the subject, not to be confused with the weird, new book. Most of the modern thought in Britain is either heavily influenced by such as Havelock Ellis, Bertrand Russell, Thomas Henry Huxley, and all the Post-Moderns and Deconstructionists, as well as the Post-Deconstructionists. Christopher Hill, the neo-Marxist, also had a great influence in the academic world, as he wrote so much. The list is actually endless.

I would imagine that submersion in such a cocktail of intellectual nihilism would lead many to doubt the efficacy of something as simple as religious fervor and standard morality, or even, dare I say it, natural law philosophy.

Sir Jonathan Miller MD has some real accomplishments. On the other hand, as the Mail reported last year:

The son of author, theatre director and neuropsychologist Sir Jonathan Miller has hit back at his father’s claims that his three children were academic failures and a disappointment to him.
William Miller claims that he and his two siblings would have fared better had they been sent to public schools and Oxbridge, like their parents, but instead they were sent to state schools to appease the couple’s socialist principals.
Writing in The Sunday Times, Miller says: ‘It turned out to be a cavalier social experiment that saw all three of his children fail to gain a single qualification. He is right to feel guilty: it was a wholly avoidable disaster.’

I have a lot of family members who read, listen to and generally appreciate many of the people on the above list… Evey year, I ponder over what to get them at Christmastime, since they still “celebrate” “X-mas” with an exchange of gifts… This year I don’t have that problem. Mystic Monk Coffee all around!

Typical belly-aching from a bunch of misfits.
This group outta thank the Catholic Church, even with all of our faults, sins and yes, infidelities;
the Church is the “foundation” of European, English, as well, culture, life and their very presence…Islam is going to overtake them all, not atheist idiots.
The day the Church is “put away”, and I’m afraid that’s not such a distant reality in some places, is the day that complete moral chaos, anarchy and absolutely horrendous crimes against humanity will be the “rule of the day”.
They have no idea…absolutely no idea…prayers!

It’s the usual anti-reality brigade printing a letter in the usual anti-reality newspaper. Nothing to see here, move along…

(…though I have to say that the attitude of some of my fellow self-proclaimed “rational” countrymen to the Catholic religion is anything but rational. “Free-thinker” is truly a misnomer when applied to these people; indeed, the hypocrisy would be incredible, were it not so expected by now.)

I’m gratified that they at least concede the right of the Pope to visit Britain – as a private citizen.

But it’s curious to push on each of these points to see just how consistent they really are. Are they really against all gender-segregated institutions? Have they sent letters of protest to Wellesley College? Or the 59 other women’s colleges in the U.S.? Or every women’s school in Britain? Or is it only a difficulty when it is men who are schooled separately?

Or this: In any case, we reject the masquerading of the Holy See as a state and the pope as a head of state as merely a convenient fiction to amplify the international influence of the Vatican. Curious considering that the Holy See has a sovereign status that dates back…longer than England has existed. Or that it has diplomatic relations with 178 nations. If territorial enclaves are included, it has just about the same total land area as Monaco. Is Monaco not a state? Or does this only apply when the head of state is a religious leader? If so, would the same objections be applied to Tibet if the Dalai Lama ever reacquired rule over it as an independent state?

And so on. Fr. Z has already hit on the curious inclusion of Peter Tatchell, who seems to favor sex with minors so long as a priest is not involved.

That’s the last time I’ll go to Britain! :-P Great comments, Father Z! I laughed as I read the list of “notables”. Richard Dawkins…sheesh that man creeps me out! Richard Dawkins, the man “who thinks maybe aliens started all life, without dealing with who made the aliens” — love it!

So many humanist secularists are not good for a country. They are not happy people. Perhaps switching from tea to Mystic Monk Coffee would improve their outlook. I just purchased through your website, Father! I’m looking forward to getting my brown hoodie just in time for the cold weather.

Thanks for the information and link: I was sad to see someone who has often shown such artistic intelligence (especially as a Shakespeare director)in the past, should so quack as a shallow ideological thug.

However, as far as the contents of their list, de-ideologized versions of the items which are factually accurate – what (the Vatican under) the Holy Father (as C.S. Lewis would have delighted to call him) is responsible for opposing or promoting – they would seem a succinct summary of good grounds for awarding him the Charlemagne Prize (see

small though – if some of the earlier winners are anything to go by – the likelihood of this may be in fact), for in them we see (to quote Lewis, in a letter of 8 May 1939) “a Pope actually functioning as head of Christendom” (not least insofar as Christendom promotes the recognition of natural law).

I fear Athelstan may be wrong about “the curious inclusion” where Peter Tatchell is concerned, though: reading the review which lies behind Fr. Z’s comment, it occurred to me that here we see an early version of a new, up-and-coming ‘narrative’ deploring ‘bad, authoritarian, exploitative Romish paedophilia, which is nothing like the wonderful Man-Boy/Woman-Girl/Man-Girl/Woman-Boy (add combinations ad lib.)sexual initiatiion and mentoring which all should be celebrating’.

I know it is not exactly similar, since the Pope is on a state visit, but would these same people complain about the Dalai Lama?

He holds the exact same views as the Pope on homosexuality (although the DL would criminalize it), he wants to establish a true theocracy in Tibet, he opposes abortion, his monks have had scandals with sexual abuse, etc.

As for international relations, he has made sure Britain has not changed its official position, which is that China has “suzerainty” over Tibet, as opposed to “sovereignty”.

But, no, all of these leftist weirdos love the Dalai Lama, who holds all the “negative” views of the Pope, and doesn’t really run any hospitals, AIDS clinics, welfare offices, or schools.

One good thing about such petitions and lists of dissenters is that we can find all the oddballs and kooks in one place. We know exactly who to pray for and who to accost with our forgiveness. They’ve made it easy for us to find them – it’s one stop shopping! We can invite the motley BHA crew to join our band of misfits. They should feel right at home, that is, unless they think they are too good for us and have no need for God’s gifts of love, healing, forgiveness and eternal life.

Sir Tom Blundell
Biochemist. Researches AIDS drugs (amongst other things) and is director of a couple of biochemical companies – so seems to have a professional interest in promoting a medical rather than behavioural approach to AIDS.

Dylan Evans
According to newspaper reports, earlier this year he was disciplined by his employer (University College Cork) for sexual harassment of a female colleague. As a result he was “ordered to undergo two years of monitoring and counselling, as well as completing a special training course.”

Professor Chris French
Does television programmes about the paranormal.

In the final analysis, he is only the precondition for his work, its maternal womb, the soil or, in some cases, the dung and manure, on and out of which it grows—and thus, in most cases, something that we must forget about, if we want to enjoy the work itself.

I overlooked the Stopes connection. Thanks for pointing him out. Marie Stopes not only supported Hitler, and was a eugenicist, but was the leader in England for birth-control and abortion. This lady was always against the Catholic Church, openly, so her son is following in her sad footsteps. She is the “Margaret Sanger” of Britain, only more dangerous, as more intelligent.

Marie Stopes’ clinics provide abortions across Europe and obviously, would have much to loose economically if the teachings of the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church were widely accepted.

lose, not loose, although the sexual connection to this word is apt, as Stopes was also for the freedom of women to experience sexual license as men supposedly were always allowed to do

These reactionaries to the common, natural law code always strike me as “adolescent” in their world-views, seeing everything from their own subjective and small worlds, instead of ever considering the common good. But, such is the blindness of vice.

When they rant about “segregated schools”, what they mean is Catholic schools that give priority to children of practising Catholic families. Both Catholic and Anglican schools (and a few Jewish and Muslim schools) exist within the state system (long story), but Anglican schools tend to reserve a percentage of places for children of other (and no) faiths, on the grounds that, as the established church, its schoolss are for the whole nation. By contrast the best Catholic schools are massively over-ubscribed by Catholics, although, oddly enough, when Archbishop Nichols was head of the Catholic Education Service, he used to talk proudly about the Catholic schools that have up to 30% non-Catholic pupils.

Reading their letter made me pull out St. Edmund Campion’s Decem Rationes….i could hear the man speak to me over the 100’s of years more clearly than all those “undersigned”…. yes… the under-signed of today.

Oddly enough, most of those things being complained about are not things that Terry Pratchett has positioned himself against, in the past. Indeed, for an atheist, he’s generally been pretty pro-religion. A few things have come out from him lately that are a bit more hardline, as press releases, and a sick man can certainly get angry at God, but he’s just not the kind to freak like this in real life. He’s a voice of reason type in a world of sf/f writers doing drama, usually.

So I find it difficult to believe that a man dying from rapid onset Alzheimer’s, with tons to do on a deadline, would take the time to sign a nasty petition like this. One wonders if he didn’t just say, “Yeah, sure I’ll sign whatever petition you’ve got” as a high profile member of the Humanists, and then gets signed onto these things without actually knowing what they’re going to say.

But then, that weird anti-Catholic streak in the English is hard to predict. Maybe I’m wrong about him.

Oh, no! I really like their books! (Although I haven’t enjoyed Pratchett’s later stuff so much. I thought his output was deterioriating due to the onset of Alzheimer’s, but maybe it was the onset of atheism…)

This is so depressing. I hate it when my favorite authors* come out in public to shout filth at our beloved Holy Father and Mother Church. This isn’t the first time it’s happened, and I know it won’t be the last. I try to go on enjoying their work just the same afterwards, remembering that art can express deeper truths than the author consciously intends, but it’s hard. It feels as if one has been gratuitously betrayed.

* I liked the first two books of His Dark Materials, too, believe it or not. Then I read the third book and the whole thing collapsed into an incoherent atheist polemic. Pullman is one author I have no further interest in reading at all.

Terry Pratchett’s been an atheist for a long time, but he was always a sympathetic atheist who didn’t seem to think religious people were idiots. Rather, he seemed like the type who really wished he did believe in God, and definitely still believed in traditional morals as a wise plan. The Granny Weatherwax quote in Carpe Jugulum (if I remember it right) is particularly strong on it being right for religious people to follow their beliefs, and not to water them down for public consumption.

But then, I have to say that Pope B seems to get right up the noses of many people in sf fandom, even without trying, even without any reason at all. I love my people, but when fandom picks out a bete noire, it gets so cliquish and stupid so fast.

However, the other folks on that list don’t have any illness or traditional nerd social group to be their excuse.

Suburbanbanshee says….However, the other folks on that list don’t have any illness or traditional nerd social group to be their excuse…..

Perhaps the excuse could be good, old-fashioned sin. Every one of us knows that when we sin, and then sin again, and again, that each time we become more separated from God until, in the extreme, we find ourselves squarely in the devil’s boat, some of us with an oar or two, rowing harder and harder away from shore….

I just want to make this know pubically, here on this most prestigious website:
The Fishwrap (known as NCReporter) is now editing and forbidding any kind of comments that are dissenting from their contributors in any kind of substantial way…
jerks!
If you call them to task, you’ll get deleted, believe you me.
Freedom of speech?
Not there, folks.
Just sayin’.

And, I might add,
there is plenty to comment upon, esp. Fr. McBrien’s idiotic and insane commentary; not to mention E.C. Kennedy’s “essay” and all kinds of everything.
They’re goin’ wild there.
So much for “free speech”. Let it all hang out, brothers and sisters…deluge that bunch with your comments; they ain’t Catholic and they ain’t reportin’…no way, no how!!

I add my last sentence to his last comment listed. How can atheists and Pope-haters support “those Catholic people”?

When you shop…

... through Amazon, please, come here first? Enter Amazon through my search box. I'll then get a small percentage of everything you buy. (Pssst - Can't see the search box? Turn off your "ad-blocker" for this site!)

My wish lists

The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.

- Proverbs 21:31

Support them with prayer and fasting.

CLICK to buy Car Magnets & Stickers

Aedificantium enim unusquisque gladio erat accinctus.

- Nehemiah 4:18

"Let God arise! Let His enemies be scattered! Let those who hate him flee before His Holy Face!"

CLICK and say your Daily Offering!

Let us pray…

Grant unto thy Church, we beseech
Thee, O merciful God, that She, being
gathered together by the Holy Ghost, may
be in no wise troubled by attack from her
foes.
O God, who by sin art offended and by
penance pacified, mercifully regard the
prayers of Thy people making supplication
unto Thee,and turn away the scourges of
Thine anger which we deserve for our sins.
Almighty and Everlasting God, in
whose Hand are the power and the
government of every realm: look down upon
and help the Christian people that the heathen
nations who trust in the fierceness of their
own might may be crushed by the power of
thine Arm. Through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee
in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world
without end. R. Amen.

An outstanding opportunity to get into Latin and New Testament Greek

For Easter: another ethereal music CD from the chart-topping nuns…

Yes, Fr. Z is taking ads…

... and there will be nearly 1,000,000 page loads this month.

A bit more food for thought…

“Only one sin is nowadays severely punished: the attentive observance of the traditions of our Fathers. For that reason the good ones are thrown out of their places and brought to the desert.”

- Basil of Caesarea - ep. 243

Help Monks in Wyoming, Fr. Z, and get great coffee too!

And they have tea too!

Food For Thought

“The legalization of the termination of pregnancy is none other than the authorization given to an adult, with the approval of an established law, to take the lives of children yet unborn and thus incapable of defending themselves. It is difficult to imagine a more unjust situation, and it is very difficult to speak of obsession in a matter such as this, where we are dealing with a fundamental imperative of every good conscience — the defense of the right to life of an innocent and defenseless human being.”

- St. John Paul II

PLEASE RESPOND. Pretty pleeeease?

Should the US Bishops have us return to obligatory "meatless Fridays" during the whole year and not just during Lent?

Because you don’t know when you are going to need to move fast or get along without the supermarket…

For your consideration…

"One of the most dangerous errors is that civilization is automatically bound to increase and spread. The lesson of history is the opposite; civilization is a rarity, attained with difficulty and easily lost. The normal state of humanity is barbarism, just as the normal surface of the planet is salt water. Land looms large in our imagination and civilization in history books, only because sea and savagery are to us less interesting."

- C.S. Lewis

Identity theft is a serious problem that you do NOT want to have. I use Lifelock.

And for your cybersecurity…

Wyoming Catholic College!

A great place in Rome…

More food for thought:

“I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square. His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the church has done so often in human history.”

Check out the Cardinal Newman Society feed!

Be a “Zed-Head”!

Fr. Z’s stuff is everywhere

More food for thought…

"All laws which are repugnant to the Constitution are null and void."

- Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. 137, 176

Even More Food For Thought

"Men by their constitutions are naturally divided into two parties:
1. Those who fear and distrust the people, and wish to draw all powers from them into the hands of the higher classes.
2. Those who identify themselves with the people, have confidence in them, cherish and consider them as the most honest and safe, although not the most wise depositary of the public interests."

Additional Food For Thought

“And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family? Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand?... The Organs would very quickly have suffered a shortage of officers and transport and, notwithstanding all of Stalin's thirst, the cursed machine would have ground to a halt! If...if...We didn't love freedom enough. And even more – we had no awareness of the real situation.... We purely and simply deserved everything that happened afterward.”

- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Fathers, you don’t know who might show up! It could be a “big fish” of one sort or other…

And... GO TO CONFESSION!

Leave Voice Mail for Fr. Z

Nota bene: I do not answer these numbers or this Skype address. You won't get me "live". I check for messages regularly.

Help the Sisters. They have a building project. Get great soap (gifts, etc.) while helping REAL nuns!

Food For Thought

“Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains upon their own appetites. . . . Society cannot exist unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere; and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without. It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters.”

Archives

ENTRY CALENDAR

Do you use my blog often? Is it helpful to you?

If so, please consider subscribing to send a monthly donation. That way I have steady income I can plan on, and you wind up regularly on my list of benefactors for whom I pray and for whom I periodically say Holy Mass.

Some options

The opinions expressed on this blog do not necessarily reflect the positions of any of the Church's entities with which I am involved. They are my own.